My mom was an immigrant. Her family fled WWII from Latvia 🇱🇻, later after my parents divorced my dad an Los Angeles family for generations. Both my mom and stepmom stayed in displaced persons camps for years before immigrating to the USA. What these two amazing women gave ( my mom’s brother served in Vietnam) as an example is amazing.
Criminals fine . This should be done, after due process. What began as getting out the criminals and rapists has turned to fingerprinting children?!? Workplace raids ( are the employers held responsible? If they’re working when do they crime? Aren’t they contributing to society without the benefits that come ( social security, Medicare etc) with living in this country? Didn’t Ohio value their Springfield Haitian protected status and actively recruit them? The questions are rhetorical and yes or no.
Thank you for a well written article. These are critical times in which we live. To be honest, I believe in some of these measures, such as requiring proof of legal status for children enrolling in schools, or buying a gun, or enrolling for ongoing government assistance such as food stamps. Could you please write an article explaining HOW these kinds of measures (which could act as deterrents for illegal entrance) could be accomplished in a more humane way. I disagree with paying citizens or legally employed public servants money for participating in the arrest of an illegal person. Yes, I do understand that potentially some LEGAL immigrants would be - WILL be inconvenienced by having to carry their legal status papers on their person. That is one of the sad facts about any immigrant community - but anyone who IS LEGAL should have papers proving that. As it stands today, there has been a pretty easy wide open border for many years for legal immigrants to help their extended families to enter the country illegally and doing the hard work of becoming Legal in the (way-off) future. If we are truly a people of Laws, then why would we make it easy for illegals to continue to live here?? That makes no sense to me. Our cause at this point should be HUMANE policies surrounding the deportation of illegals.
And there it is, citizens vs. non-citizens. As if immigrants were a foreign entity sent here to overthrow our government and out way of life.When in fact some of the main reasons they come here are to escape violence, dictators, and climate change While all the time immigrants add billions to local economies and to our tax base. When you promise to lower food prices, deporting the employees that make that food more affordable is 100% self defeating. Same for housing and other jobs depending mostly on cheap labor. And why are so many illegal? Because our immigration laws are so fucked up that instead of issuing work permits till their court dates, they fire the judges responsible for hearing those cases, backing it up even further. Their logoiv? Make immigrants the criminals. Blame them for all your failures in life because if you’re a christian white man then how could it possibly be your fault for being a complete failure?
I can’t wait for food prices to skyrocket because crops are rotting in the fields. Do Trump and his minions really think that lazy US citizens are going to rush out to get paid minimum wage to pick tomatoes? If any of these MAGA cult members start complaining because they can’t afford fresh vegetables, I am going to say, “YOU voted for it…”
I became afraid of my neighbors in Fort Worth, Texas. The hatred was vocalized neighbor to neighbor. My crime? Single, independent woman of color in a nice home. I knew I had to leave before the possibility of a trump presidency. I left in August of 2024 back home to Illinois.
I can imagine the horror visited upon immigrants - no matter their status. I can imagine the horror visited upon people of color in Texas. Hispanics are the largest growing population in Texas. If it weren't for voter suppression, that state would be blue. The fear their fuels their hatred and cruelty. I experienced that hate first hand.
Thank you for this, Adrian Carrasquillo. I always knew and know if you come for one group, you eventually get to each and every group. We are connected. We need to stand up for the most vulnerable of us. Truly tragic.
good article and good addition to the bulwark, its so hard to understand at an outcome level all that's happening with the new administration, I'm glad you are digging into this set of issues. As a legal immigrant here working, I'm not worried about myself as I have a visa.
I can attest to just how expensive and difficult and how many hoops you have to jump through for the pleasure of working in the US! I have no idea how the undocumented immigrants manage the systems and processes. (for eg. my DL expires in line with my visa, every 2 years. so I'm constantly in and out of DPS getting a new one - i have a huge LIMITED TERM plastered over my license, but luckily no yellow star.....)
AMI - my friend, I wish you welcome. I hope your legal status will be respected as it should be. I'm sorry that some of my fellow citizens don't have much appreciation for civil & human rights.
Brendan - I think all of us US citizens share some responsibility for this task. This is a huge country AND there are many of us who intend for it to keep working toward our ideals. I pray we are up to the task.
"the Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy Act—yes, the TRUMP Act—became Florida law yesterday; among other things, it provides for any law enforcement officer who assists in the arrest of a person in the state illegally to receive a $1,000 bonus"
Before folks gush about what great guys the President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and His Holiness the Pope are, remember that the Roman Catholic Church has a very long record of successfully advocating and practicing discrimination against gay people solely because our sexuality does not produce babies.
More recently, the Catholic Church has made it clear that it opposes the basic premise of gender identity ideology, which is that males and females can change sex or gender.
The common thread is the Catholic Church's unshakeable belief that it alone has the right to say what is right and wrong when it comes to how all of humanity use their sexuality. It's enough to make a person think the Catholic Church believes human sexuality is a gift from God that comes with lots and lots of enforceable doctrinal strings attached regardless of the individual's faith or lack thereof, even if they live in a secular society.
Ollie - my friend, I take your point that we are wise to look in depth at motivations & actions. I appreciate when I find support even from those who I eye with some caution. If that church believes human sexuality is a gift from God (tho I'd say gift OF god; semantics perhaps but a little different) I'd meet them on that hill. But they certainly DO NOT get to dictate others' celebration of the gift
“The ultimate goal in these cases is not just to up the number of detentions but to challenge the landmark 1982 Plyler v. Doe ruling, which holds that states cannot constitutionally deny students a free public education due to their immigration status.”
Because all we need to make America great are uneducated kids.
Paul - yes, you've hit on a theme we see in many of Trump/Project 2025 plans. Attacking public education is a core principle. They see how it helped unite diverse peoples esp. in 20th century; they don't want that connection to continue since it threatens their hegemony
My mom was an immigrant. Her family fled WWII from Latvia 🇱🇻, later after my parents divorced my dad an Los Angeles family for generations. Both my mom and stepmom stayed in displaced persons camps for years before immigrating to the USA. What these two amazing women gave ( my mom’s brother served in Vietnam) as an example is amazing.
Criminals fine . This should be done, after due process. What began as getting out the criminals and rapists has turned to fingerprinting children?!? Workplace raids ( are the employers held responsible? If they’re working when do they crime? Aren’t they contributing to society without the benefits that come ( social security, Medicare etc) with living in this country? Didn’t Ohio value their Springfield Haitian protected status and actively recruit them? The questions are rhetorical and yes or no.
Thank you for a well written article. These are critical times in which we live. To be honest, I believe in some of these measures, such as requiring proof of legal status for children enrolling in schools, or buying a gun, or enrolling for ongoing government assistance such as food stamps. Could you please write an article explaining HOW these kinds of measures (which could act as deterrents for illegal entrance) could be accomplished in a more humane way. I disagree with paying citizens or legally employed public servants money for participating in the arrest of an illegal person. Yes, I do understand that potentially some LEGAL immigrants would be - WILL be inconvenienced by having to carry their legal status papers on their person. That is one of the sad facts about any immigrant community - but anyone who IS LEGAL should have papers proving that. As it stands today, there has been a pretty easy wide open border for many years for legal immigrants to help their extended families to enter the country illegally and doing the hard work of becoming Legal in the (way-off) future. If we are truly a people of Laws, then why would we make it easy for illegals to continue to live here?? That makes no sense to me. Our cause at this point should be HUMANE policies surrounding the deportation of illegals.
Red states are becoming more like Germany in the 1930s by the day. Republicans hate brown and black people and will do anything to eliminate them.
Go to the fringe with Trump, and the fringe expands.
Perhaps they should be reminded that only Trump has limited Immunity for his Presidential duties.
Law is still law, no matter who breaks it. Illegal is still illegal, no matter who encourages it.
And there it is, citizens vs. non-citizens. As if immigrants were a foreign entity sent here to overthrow our government and out way of life.When in fact some of the main reasons they come here are to escape violence, dictators, and climate change While all the time immigrants add billions to local economies and to our tax base. When you promise to lower food prices, deporting the employees that make that food more affordable is 100% self defeating. Same for housing and other jobs depending mostly on cheap labor. And why are so many illegal? Because our immigration laws are so fucked up that instead of issuing work permits till their court dates, they fire the judges responsible for hearing those cases, backing it up even further. Their logoiv? Make immigrants the criminals. Blame them for all your failures in life because if you’re a christian white man then how could it possibly be your fault for being a complete failure?
I can’t wait for food prices to skyrocket because crops are rotting in the fields. Do Trump and his minions really think that lazy US citizens are going to rush out to get paid minimum wage to pick tomatoes? If any of these MAGA cult members start complaining because they can’t afford fresh vegetables, I am going to say, “YOU voted for it…”
Naming their horrific bills to spell out TRUMP is the literal definition of pathetic. These people are children.
Think I'd start with Devin Nunes' family's farm in Iowa. Then maybe all of Trump's golf courses.
I became afraid of my neighbors in Fort Worth, Texas. The hatred was vocalized neighbor to neighbor. My crime? Single, independent woman of color in a nice home. I knew I had to leave before the possibility of a trump presidency. I left in August of 2024 back home to Illinois.
I can imagine the horror visited upon immigrants - no matter their status. I can imagine the horror visited upon people of color in Texas. Hispanics are the largest growing population in Texas. If it weren't for voter suppression, that state would be blue. The fear their fuels their hatred and cruelty. I experienced that hate first hand.
Thank you for this, Adrian Carrasquillo. I always knew and know if you come for one group, you eventually get to each and every group. We are connected. We need to stand up for the most vulnerable of us. Truly tragic.
When will they start penalizing the employers of undocumented immigrants? Start with the source!
good article and good addition to the bulwark, its so hard to understand at an outcome level all that's happening with the new administration, I'm glad you are digging into this set of issues. As a legal immigrant here working, I'm not worried about myself as I have a visa.
I can attest to just how expensive and difficult and how many hoops you have to jump through for the pleasure of working in the US! I have no idea how the undocumented immigrants manage the systems and processes. (for eg. my DL expires in line with my visa, every 2 years. so I'm constantly in and out of DPS getting a new one - i have a huge LIMITED TERM plastered over my license, but luckily no yellow star.....)
AMI - my friend, I wish you welcome. I hope your legal status will be respected as it should be. I'm sorry that some of my fellow citizens don't have much appreciation for civil & human rights.
"quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"
Brendan - I think all of us US citizens share some responsibility for this task. This is a huge country AND there are many of us who intend for it to keep working toward our ideals. I pray we are up to the task.
I could not agree more!
"the Tackling and Reforming Unlawful Migration Policy Act—yes, the TRUMP Act—became Florida law yesterday; among other things, it provides for any law enforcement officer who assists in the arrest of a person in the state illegally to receive a $1,000 bonus"
Thank you for this article
Before folks gush about what great guys the President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and His Holiness the Pope are, remember that the Roman Catholic Church has a very long record of successfully advocating and practicing discrimination against gay people solely because our sexuality does not produce babies.
More recently, the Catholic Church has made it clear that it opposes the basic premise of gender identity ideology, which is that males and females can change sex or gender.
The common thread is the Catholic Church's unshakeable belief that it alone has the right to say what is right and wrong when it comes to how all of humanity use their sexuality. It's enough to make a person think the Catholic Church believes human sexuality is a gift from God that comes with lots and lots of enforceable doctrinal strings attached regardless of the individual's faith or lack thereof, even if they live in a secular society.
Whilst their priests sexually abuse the flock.
Ollie - my friend, I take your point that we are wise to look in depth at motivations & actions. I appreciate when I find support even from those who I eye with some caution. If that church believes human sexuality is a gift from God (tho I'd say gift OF god; semantics perhaps but a little different) I'd meet them on that hill. But they certainly DO NOT get to dictate others' celebration of the gift
“The ultimate goal in these cases is not just to up the number of detentions but to challenge the landmark 1982 Plyler v. Doe ruling, which holds that states cannot constitutionally deny students a free public education due to their immigration status.”
Because all we need to make America great are uneducated kids.
Paul - yes, you've hit on a theme we see in many of Trump/Project 2025 plans. Attacking public education is a core principle. They see how it helped unite diverse peoples esp. in 20th century; they don't want that connection to continue since it threatens their hegemony
Ignorance is strength….